Class 1 is easily the deepest class in the Ozarks with several teams playing at an elite level. We’ve seen Thayer, Marionville, Skyline and Osceola all make Final Four runs in recent years only to meet powers Penney or Valle Catholic. Catholic is again lumped in with the Ozarks, but will have to go through the best in Southwest Missouri to reach the championship.
District 2
This district is scary good at the top with Pierce City (9-0), Sarcoxie (8-1) and Thayer, Marionville and Ash Grove (6-3). The 4/5 winner here – Marionville vs. Ash Grove – is good enough to win other districts. This district will be the epitome of iron sharpens iron as I don’t believe the top seeds are the favorite.
Favorite: Thayer
It’ll always be difficult for me to pick a Class 1 team to beat Thayer because of what they see in weeks 1-9. The Bobcats schedule is by far the most difficult in the district. Consider this, their losses came to Class 1 state-ranked Hayti, Class 2 undefeated Ava and a Mountain Grove team that was state-ranked in Class 2 for much of the season. Defensively, Thayer just plays with a level of physicality that most Class 1 teams can’t compete with. The Bobcats are 8-5 in playoff games since 2012, four of those losses have come to Valle Catholic. It seems like these two are again on a collision course.
Best of the Rest
I love what Pierce City has done this season, running the table with impressive wins over Sarcoxie, Lockwood and a few Class 2s. PC has also won nine of its last 10 regular season home games. If they can match SCA and Mid-Lakes physicality they are capable of making run because of how athletic they are, starting with senior reigning SRVC Defensive POY Donnell Kleiboeker… Sarcoxie will have extra motivation after coming up short of its first SRVC football title. The Bears play a physical brand of football that very much falls in line with how the SCA operates and Chris Comerford is one of the best at running quarterback reads you’ll see in the area. He’s good enough to help Sarcoxie sustain drives and score enough points to win. The question is can Sarcoxie, which has gotten pushed around defensively at times, can get off the field in crucial third down situations… Seeds 4-7 is where this district gets interesting. Marionville and Ash Grove will meet for the second time this year for the chance to play No. 1 Pierce City and honestly both teams are capable of winning the district. The Comets won the regular season meeting 27-18, but Ash Grove has won four of the last six meetings in the series. Grove played for a district title last year, narrowly losing to Thayer. Marionville has been surprisingly good this year. The losses to Class 2 Strafford and Fair Grove mean nothing, but the near upset of undefeated Lincoln shows you just how good this team can be. I wouldn’t be surprised at all if the winner of this game played Thayer for a district championship… Miller is the 6-seed and while this team will have its hands full with Thayer, Jamie LaSalle has a team that will take over this district soon, maybe as soon as next year… Maybe the most intriguing team in the district is Cabool. No, that’s not a misprint; I wouldn’t want to play the Bulldogs. Yes, they’re winless but that’s more because the SCA is really good and rarely does Cabool play Class 1 teams. Cabool nearly upset Sarcoxie last year, upset Pierce City in 2016 and made it to the district championship as a 4-seed.
Other Class 1 teams to watch
Lockwood is the 3-seed in District 3 and the Tigers are certainly a dark horse to win it. Lockwood’s two losses came to Pierce City and Sarcoxie, who are a combined 17-1 this season. The Tigers led Sarcoxie in the third quarter of that game despite battling injuries. To put it nicely, those teams haven’t seen what Lockwood has. LT drilled 4-seed Archie 34-0 during the regular season. Archie beat 2-seed Midway 37-0 and lost to 1-seed Adrian 14-6… Adrian just got drilled by Fair Grove. Using the transitive property it seems like Lockwood will at least be ready to hang. Having one of the best coaching staffs in the district from a preparation standpoint gives them the edge.
CLASS 1 – DISTRICT 3 BRACKET – CLICK HERE
CLASS 1 – DISTRICT 4 BRACKET – CLICK HERE
Could this be Lincoln’s year? The Cardinals are the top seed in District 4, owning a road win over 2-seed Windsor. Lincoln has won 33 of its last 35 games, with those losses both coming in the playoffs. Last year the Cards were one possession away from playing for a state championship. I’m not sure they’ve seen the high-level competition that other programs have, but their ability to pull out wins cannot be overlooked. Beating Marionville and Cole Camp in physical, ugly games is a testament to their toughness. Also, having a first round bye gives them ample time to prepare for a likely rematch with Skyline. Keep in mind, the Tigers beat Lincoln back in 2015. Despite being just 3-6, this team went through a gauntlet of a schedule and four of those losses came by 12 points or less. Branden Shelby’s team typically play extremely well in the playoffs, similar to Thayer. Don’t be surprised to see them make noise in this district.
If you’re wondering how this all works out, Valle (District 1) will meet the winner of District 2 (Pierce City-Sarcoxie-Thayer-Ash Grove-Marionville) in one quarterfinal. Their quarterfinal partner would be District 3 (Adrian-Midway-Lockwood) vs. District 4 (Lincoln-Skyline).
Hudl Player to Love: Sarcoxie QB Chris ComerfordÂ
I touched on his ability to make reads earlier, but this kid is just dynamic with the ball in his hands. On this film you’ll see him return a kick and rip off several big runs. He’s more than willing to give the ball up, but when he does pull it back, he knows how to finish the run. Coaches rave about his work ethic and toughness. This is also a kid you’ll see leading the student section at other Sarcoxie games. The Bears willingly follow his lead, which could end with them playing football well into November.
Bold Prediction: At least one of the 1-seeds will not make it to the district championship.
